Lodge Activities/State Associations Committee
Community Service & Image Contest - Contest 'B'
Exalted Rulers, have you appointed a Member of your Lodge to complete your entry in the Community Service and Image Contest? If not, do it NOW to give them plenty of time to gather the material needed to complete your binder. You can’t win if you don’t enter.Elks across the country promote activities in their communities on a daily basis. These activities, and the community services we provide, are at the very heart of our organization and truly demonstrate that “Elks Care — Elks Share.” Grand Lodge Programs such as the Elks Hoop Shoot® Contest, Most Valuable Student Scholarship Awards, Drug Awareness Education Programs and the work of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission are just a few of the community service programs sponsored by Elks Lodges. In addition, sponsoring Boy Scout Troops, promoting youth activity programs, assisting needy families and working with the elderly also demonstrate that Elks truly do CARE about their community.
Of course, most of us know all about the good work we do in our communities. However, the strength of our community image is dependent, not on what we know, but on what the other residents of our communities know about the activities we support. Obviously, it is important for all of us to build awareness of the good things our Lodges do through the use of all available media outlets. It is very simple: If we want credit for what we do, we must let our communities know what we do.
Spreading the knowledge of the work performed by the Members of your Lodge will help you achieve a strong community image. This, in turn, will ultimately earn your Lodge support and respect in your community. This support and respect will foster an attitude that membership in our Order is a privilege. In addition, the youth of the communities touched by the works of our Order will become our membership base of the future. For these reasons, we encourage each Lodge to fully publicize all Grand Lodge, State Association and local community service programs throughout their area.
To enter the Community Service and Image Contest, document your programs with pictures, media clippings, letters of appreciation and short, concise text in an 8-1/2 x 11 inch, three-ring binder not exceeding four inches in thickness. Mail inquiries to the appropriate committee member, postmarked no later than March 15. Please be sure to include a letter of certification from your Lodge Secretary stating your Lodge membership as of March 31.
